


Just One Night

by Fishpaste



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Blow Jobs, Cute, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 15:43:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18479311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fishpaste/pseuds/Fishpaste
Summary: Bard waits up for Grell to return after taking Miss Midford back after her the Ball they'd put on for her.





	Just One Night

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Princess Butler](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5871346) by [I_am_Best](https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_am_Best/pseuds/I_am_Best). 



> Bard/Grell is an almost criminally underrepresented pairing, they're so sweet together. Bard uses male pronouns for Grell throughout, Grell is still acting as the butler after all, and it is told from his perspective so Grell is referred to exclusively with male pronouns.

Phantomhive manor could be very creepy when it got dark, Bard thought absently as he leaned back in his chair, watching the smoke from his cigarette twirl aimlessly towards the ceiling. Too many large empty rooms and dark corridors made the unwary traveller uncomfortable if they tried to traverse them without a light. His own candle flickered happily on the table before him, lighting the kitchen with its soft glow. It was late, he'd just heard the hallway clock chiming two, but he wasn’t ready to go to bed quite yet. Everyone else had, he’d made sure Mei Rin and Finny went up at their usual time since it had been a long day for both of them. Miss Midford was a lovely girl, but she was an exhausting terror at the same time; it had taken hours to clear away the decorations in the main hall and get it looking back to its old sombre self again. Now all that was left to do was wait for the scatter brained new butler to return from taking Miss Elizabeth back home and Bard could relax, safe in the knowledge that all of the people he was responsible for were home and safe.

It was definitely a holdover from his military days, he reflected; that inability to rest if he didn’t know where his men were. Although now, instead of soldiers, he was responsible for an old butler who spent his time drinking tea, the clumsiest maid he’d ever thought of as the little sister he’d never had, a child Earl who had forgotten how to smile, a boy whose extraordinary strength was only matched by his heart and optimism and a rather creepy butler who Bard was convinced had some sort of strange powers, there was no other explanation for how he managed to do everything he did around the manor. Added to this list was currently the slim young man from London, supposed to be learning how to be a proper butler but, as far as Bard could tell, he was simply having an endless anxiety attack over things going wrong.

The clatter of the carriage outside brought Bard up to his feet. _Finally!_ He grabbed his candle and headed out to the stables. Part of the reason he’d stayed up to wait for Grell was concern that he wouldn’t be able to get the horse in and away properly, and the poor beast didn’t deserve that sort of treatment. Although he’d managed to drive the carriage both to the Midford’s house and back without any major incident apparently so perhaps Bard was judging him too harshly; an idea that was only confirmed as he neared the stables. 

Light was spilling out of the stable door. Caring for the horses was usually Finny’s job but the kid was in bed where he was supposed to be and in his absence Grell was calmly removing the last of the tack from the tired looking horse. Against the darkness of the surroundings, the red bow in his hair stood out even more and Bard found himself just watching the confident way he was handling the animal, a far cry from the nervous tension that usually characterised his every movement. Grell glanced over his shoulder at him, seeming unsurprised by the chef standing there and Bard belatedly realised he was standing in the dark courtyard, openly staring and holding a lit candle. He flushed and stepped forward into the circle of light from the oil lamp Grell must have lit. The last thing he wanted to make it look like he’d been doing was spying on the younger man, the poor sod was already high strung enough; he didn’t need to start worrying about being watched wherever he went at the same time.

Thankfully Grell chose not to comment on how long he’d known he was out there, instead just offering him a shy smile as he began rubbing the carriage horse down. Bard gathered up the discarded tack and began sorting it and hanging it in its assigned places. They worked in companionable silence for a few minutes before the butler spoke.

“Were you waiting for me? I’m sorry, there wasn’t a need; I didn’t mean to keep you up so late.” His voice was quiet, and he kept his eyes focused on the horse’s neck as he talked, but Bard could easily pick out the fear that he was causing trouble, being a nuisance and a bother again and, having far too much experience of where that train of thought usually led with Grell, he was quick to try and reassure him before he could start looking for high things to jump off or try to drown himself in the water trough or something.

“Nah, s’alright. I wasn’t sleeping anyway. ‘sides, it’s always nicer to work with a friend isn’t it?”

“A f-friend?”

Ah, oh dear, that might just scare him more mightn’t’ it? Bard got the impression that Grell was a rather lonely person, he certainly seemed to have enough difficulty with completely normal social situations, and considering the men he seemed to chase after, it would make sense that he wasn’t used to people seeming to enjoy his company. It was sad really, the man seemed to do his best to try and please everyone, like a worried puppy, but everything he touched turned into disaster. 

“Yeah? S’not that hard to believe is it? You might be a bit weird Grell, but yer one of us now, and we look out for one another.” He said firmly. That was true anyway, the servants were a family, and they could make room for one more in their little group of misfits. He looked over to where Grell had paused in their work, staring at him with round eyes behind their glasses.

“You really mean it, don’t you?” He said softly, with almost wonder in his tone. “You’re just that accepting.”

Bard blinked at him, he didn’t think he’d said anything that impressive, but it seemed to have distracted the other man so he counted it as a success. He hung up the last of the tack and turned to make sure there were oats and hay available, almost flustered by the soft look in Grell’s eyes, the man was pretty enough normally, when he was pulling expressions like that it was practically unfair... it made Bard feel as rough as a the uncivilised soldier he’d been such a short time ago. Really, he shouldn’t even be looking at Grell like that, the man had clearly had an education, and a decent upbringing by the way he spoke and looked, and even if his tastes swung towards men, Bard knew exactly the sort of person Grell fixed his eyes on, and Bard had none of Sebastian’s looks, charm or skill. He was just a humble soldier turned chef and he had other things to focus on now anyway, like Mei Rin and Finny and the young master, he shouldn’t be having his head turned by a pair of nice eyes and a sweet smile he told himself, filling one of the heavy wooden buckets with fresh water.

Trying to shake thoughts like that from his head he moved a little too quickly, and dropped the bucket he’d been bringing over, causing it to thud against the stone flooring, though thankfully it remained upright. The tired horse shied at the unexpected noise, ears flattening against its skull as its eyes rolled about wildly, searching for the danger. Grell grabbed hold of its bridle, trying to calm it down, but his own voice was filled with alarm at the sudden movement and the horse only grew more agitated, half rearing up and causing Grell to go stumbling backwards, kicking the oil lamp as he fell over. Bard watched in resigned despair as the lamp cracked, spilling oil and flame onto the straw bedding. The fire licked eagerly at the dry straw and the horse panicked again, trying to dash away from the light and smell of smoke but thwarted by a lack of open spaces to flee too. 

Heavy hooves thudded dangerously near where Grell was crawling backwards and Bard moved on instinct, raising the bucket of water he’d been carrying and tossing it quickly over the small fire. Most of it went out with a wet hiss and he stamped the rest out quickly. Fire in a stable could be deadly, but this one had been caught before it had a chance to grow too large. Once he was certain the flames were gone he lifted the broken lamp and looked to where Grell had managed to get to his feet and catch the horse’s bridle, rubbing its nose soothingly as it jittered about. Well, he should have expected something to go wrong shouldn’t he? At least he’d been able to fix it himself this time, without having Sebastian needing to swoop in like some sort of disapproving angel to fix Bard’s mistakes.

“You alright?” He asked, brushing some ash off his coat. Grell led the still nervous looking horse into its stall and looked over at him, Bard could read the guilt in his eyes and suppressed a sigh, not every accident that happened was the butler’s fault, Bard had always had a habit of setting things on fire, even when he was really trying not to. “Calm down kid, it wasn’t your fault. The horse spooked that’s all, could ‘ave happened to anyone. And no one got hurt so don’t you go being all dramatic now. No real damage done, we can just finish up in here and call it a night.” He said firmly, crouching to pick up the remains of the broken glass. Grell didn’t reply and Bard glanced over at him. He had the oddest expression on his face, as though he was torn between guilt, laughter and offense.

“What?” Bard asked, now why was he getting all worked up?

“Kid?” Grell asked, eyebrows raised. Bard blinked, thinking back over his last words and blushed. Oh, he had said that hadn’t he....shoot, now he’d probably offended the other properly and Grell would want nothing more to do with him.

“Ah- I didn’t mean...um...” He began, but Grell interrupted him with a soft laugh, coming out of the horses stall.

“I’m hardly a child Bardroy...” He said.

“I know yer not, I didn’t mean it like that-“

“Want me to prove it?” Grell said, and then looked horrified at his own words, clapping a hand across his mouth and staring at Bard with wide eyes as though he couldn’t believe what had just slipped out. Bard wasn’t quite sure he believed it himself. The stable went deathly silent, the two men staring at each other. Grell was turning slowly red, looking absolutely mortified while Bard was quite busy wishing the floor would just open up and swallow him. Of all the people to come out with something like _that,_ the timid, constantly nervous young butler was just about the last he would have expected it from.

“I...” The smaller man managed to get out before his hands twitched towards the sleeve Bard knew he kept that dagger in and the chef moved before he could think, grabbing Grell’s wrists and pinning him against the wall to stop him drawing the weapon and making the twentieth attempt on his own life. Alright so he could understand the _want_ to die after a comment like that, but that didn’t mean he was going to let it become a reality!

Of course he then realised exactly what position he’d put them in, he was leaning over Grell, holding his hands against the stable wall, pinning him in place and with their faces only inches apart. Grell’s eyes were wide and his lips were slightly parted as he looked up at Bard in surprise, Bard could feel his breath against his cheek, and the warmth of the other man’s body against his. He could sense the blush starting around his neck and steadily raising upwards, what the hell was he doing?

“Oh...” Grell managed to say, swallowing, and Bard’s heart rate suddenly increased again. He should let go, step back, head back to the house and bed and pretend none of this had happened. He should leave Grell alone, god knows the man had enough problems as it was, he didn’t need Bard adding to them, he should do the responsible thing and explain he’d just been trying to stop Grell going for the dagger, nothing else. He should, he should...

Bard would swear for the rest of his life that he made no conscious decision to move, his body just decided to do it on his own. But he found himself leaning forward, closing the gap between them even more, Grell was perfectly still under his hands, shining eyes fixed on Bard as he waited, Bard hesitated for a single second and then pressed his lips against Grell’s. He felt Grell sigh, his head tilting to give Bard better access. His lips were warm and soft and Bard tightened his grip around Grell’s wrists, though he was hardly trying to escape, indeed he seemed just as eager for it all, his lips parting as Bard deepened the kiss. A tongue slipped into Bard’s mouth and he almost groaned, his body flushing with sudden heat. Keeping their lips locked together he let go of Grell’s wrists, freeing his own hands to move and cup around the back of his head, holding him steady as they kissed.

It had been far too long since Bard had had a chance to be with anyone, but the actions were completely instinctive. Grell’s arms wrapped around his waist, pulling the two of them close together as Bard tangled his fingers through the soft brown hair, knocking the red bow askew and leaving Grell looking rumpled and flushed when he pulled back from the kiss to allow them both a chance to breathe.

“Bardroy...” He murmured, eyes half lidded, and open _want_ in his voice. Bard breathed in sharply, he knew he should stop here, back away and let this all be forgotten, but at the same time the very thought of stepping away from this...he didn’t even think he was capable of it right now.

“Hush...I got yer...” He said instead, brushing a thumb across Grell’s face and feeling him shiver against him. He lowered his head again, kissing along Grell’s delicate jaw line, tracing down the back of his dark butler’s coat as Grell began fumbling with the apron still tied around his waist, unknotting it and allowing it to drift to the ground between them. Long fingers then climbed up Bard’s white jacket, fumbling with the buttons there as he tugged it open and revealed the simple white undershirt he wore underneath. Even through the thin fabric, the touch of hands on his chest sent goosebumps along Bard’s arms and he pressed forward until Grell had his back up against the wall, nudging his legs apart with one leg and feeling Grell instinctively push down onto the pressure against his groin.

The butler had managed to get Bard’s chef jacket fully open now and his fingers curled up the hem of his undershirt, pushing it up to expose the smooth, slightly tanned skin. With an appreciative noise he began exploring the finely muscled chest, making Bard’s breath hitch as his nails scraped across his skin, pausing to tease at a nipple. Damn, the other man was good at this, Bard hadn’t been this worked up in ages; he could feel the throbbing heat in his own cock, demanding attention and he reached down to grip himself through his trousers.

Grell’s explorations were creeping lower now, fingers brushing against the hem of his trousers and causing Bard’s hips to buck up against him. The chef kissed him again, nipping at his lower lip and feeling Grell smile against his mouth as Bard moaned. The very air around them seemed to be heating up impossibly as Grell began unbuckling his belt, the smooth leather sliding out of his trousers, allowing the younger man to dip his hands below the waistband. Bard’s whole body jumped as he felt him wrap his hands around him straight away, no hesitation as he took hold of Bard, palm warm and tight around his cock. When he began stroking, moving torturously slowly Bard squeezed his eyes shut, leaning forward and supporting himself against the wall, Grell tucked neatly in front of him as he panted. 

He absently heard Grell chuckle at his reaction and opened one eye to shoot him a glare, if he didn’t appreciate how Bard was responding then he shouldn’t be doing things like this-his train of thought broke off again as Grell twisted his fingers over the now wet head, caressing it and causing Bard to thrust eagerly up into his hands. Then the butler was moving again, sliding down the wall until he was kneeling before Bard, smiling up at him before he firmly pulled Bard’s trousers down further, exposing him entirely. The intoxicating rush of seeing the man in that position, combined with the hand still pumping away at his cock sent a jolt of desire through Bard.

“Fuck....damn it all...” He managed to say hoarsely as Grell opened his mouth and leaned forward, encasing the tip in hot wet heat. His hands clenched as he held himself up on the wall, trying to stop his legs from trembling. Grell’s tongue was pressing against the slit and his teeth scraped lightly across the underside even as his fingers wrapped more tightly around the base. He began to move, bobbing his head down, letting his tongue swirl around as he took Bard deeper and deeper, surrounding him with soft wet heat. He swallowed around Bard, causing him to gasp audibly at the increase in pressure and moved faster, one of Bard’s hands coming down to tangle in the hair at the back of his head, a wordless plea for him to keep moving, not stop, please _god_ don’t stop. 

Bard tugged at the long hair, causing Grell to moan around him, the noise so deliciously decadent that he couldn’t hold back his own gasp. A rivulet of sweat was working its way down his back as he pushed his hips, thrusting against Grell’s willing mouth and he was hyper aware of every inch of skin, reacting to the lightest brush of Grell’s fingers against his legs, the hand gripping onto the base of his cock, occasionally stroking down to press against his balls, the breath as he exhaled around him, the tongue probing at the very head of his cock, then running along the shaft, Grell’s head moving up and down, matching Bard’s rhythm with ease as though the man had done this a thousand times before.

“More...” Bard groaned out, he was getting close now, feeling the pressure build up within him, hot and heavy and powerful, he was teetering on the brink of it, could almost grasp that ethereal sensation... Grell obliged, his jaw working as he took more of Bard in, kept licking and moving and so warm and wet and so so much and- Bard came with a shout, legs shaking violently as he slid down, falling to his knees as he rode out his climax. Chest heaving he looked up at Grell, who smeared away the mess on his cheek and grinned at him, eyes bright and happier than Bard had ever seen him.

“You...how...” He panted, _how the hell are you so good at this?_ Was what he wanted to articulate, but the words got lost somewhere in the roils of pleasure still rushing through him. His skin felt overly sensitive and hot, and his brain was practically fizzing with the orgasm still racing through his bloodstream. Grell didn’t seem to care that he wasn’t capable of speech right now though, reaching down to rub against himself through the layers of fabric, eyes fixed on Bard’s flustered face, a quick flash of a smile visible.

It took longer than he wanted to admit for Bard to pull himself together again, shaking fingers and weak legs as he crawled forward to where Grell was waiting for him. He didn’t bother even trying to stand up, simply pushing Grell’s shoulders gently until he had him prone on the floor and trapping his wrists above his head. Pretty as a picture, the man lying down, staring up at him with wide eyes, practically begging for Bard to kiss him, something which Bard was only too happy to do, leaning down to give the lightest of kisses to his neck, feeling the fast heartbeat under his lips. Grell squirmed in enthusiasm as Bard reached down, tugging at the ties of his trousers and pushing the fabric aside impatiently, leaning over him as he worked. He ran his finger through the wet precome, Grell gasping in need, hips rising up against him at just that faintest of touches, switching to a whine as Bard pulled back before he twisted his fingers around Grell, dragging them from base to tip, drinking in the sight of the man flushing with heat and writhing, fingers twitching and heels thudding against the floor as he tried to push himself up closer to Bard, seeking more friction and touch. 

Bard took his time, using just the tips of his fingers at first, rubbing tiny circles along the length of his shaft before pressing his thumb against the crown, smearing wetness down and then pulling away just to watch the other man pant and gasp, seeming unable to actually speak as he wordlessly begged for Bard to take him harder, take him fully in hand. He grinned and did so, gripping him tightly in his closed palm and pumping up and down in long smooth strokes, feeling Grell twitch and jump beneath him. Grell’s eyes were half shut, almost glazed over with sensation and he licked his lips, biting them when Bard tugged just that little bit harder, closed his fist a tiny bit tighter around him, moved steadily faster and faster, letting Grell rock his hips upwards into his hands, almost rising off the floor in his eagerness.

Letting go of Grell’s wrists in order to hold himself up properly Bard leaned down and pressed their mouths together, kissing him deeply as his hand tightened, drawing upwards in one long quick motion and dragging Grell over the edge. The man came with a strangled shout, his whole body jumping up under Bard’s hand, gasping out his name through their joined lips. His eyes were shut and Bard treasured the expression of trembling satisfaction spreading across his face as he lowered himself down next to Grell, who rolled over and latched onto him, wrapping his arms tightly around Bard and burying his face in the crook of his neck.

They lay there together, both regaining their breath and their bearings. The warmth of another body tangled together with his, the afterglow of the whole experience and the late hour were all combining to make Bard fall asleep, and it was only with great reluctance that he reminded himself that they were in the stables, that anyone might wander in when morning came and that he had to be up early to get the work started. And yet...looking down at Grell, his expression happier and more relaxed than Bard could ever remember it being, it was a real wretch to pull himself away. He sighed, causing Grell to blink up at him.

“C’mon you. We can’t sleep here...” He muttered, sitting up and pulling Grell with him. They looked at one another, in the dim light from the candle Bard had brought, both of them rumpled and untidy. The butler began self consciously running his fingers through his hair, trying to straighten the bow.

“Um...that was....I’m sorry...?” He said, the anxiety beginning to return to his voice. Bard groaned and pulled him into a hug, half tucking him under his chin.

“Don’t be sorry Grell...in case it weren’t obvious I definitely was up for all that. An’ I’m glad we did it, even if we probably shouldn’t have.”

“But...”

“No, no ‘buts’ Grell. Sometimes you’ve just gotta accept a good thing happening.” The butler hesitated then nodded against Bard’s chest, relaxing into the embrace. Brad kissed the top of his head and climbed back to his feet, trying to pull his clothes back into order. The horse stared impassively at them over the door of its stall as he picked up his apron, frowning as he realised the knot had been torn apart rather than simply undone. Huh, it must have been fraying, wasn’t as though Grell had the strength to rip it in half. He sighed and Grell looked over, guilt flashing across his face as he saw what had happened.

“Oh no...I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“Nah, don’t worry, must’ve been gettin’ old anyway. I’m sure I can get it repaired...”

“I could repair it? I’m quite good at sewing, and I was the one who broke it?” He offered earnestly, pushing his glasses a little further up his nose. Personally Bard was a bit more dubious about Grell’s alleged skill with a needle, but he could probably get Sebastian to get him a new apron if whatever Grell did was irreparable.

“Uh, sure I guess.” He said, handing it over. Grell took it with his customary shy smile and lifted down the candle for the walk back to the manor. He slipped his arm through Bard’s as they began walking along the dark paths, holding them close for as long as possible. In the morning, Bard knew, they would both pretend this never happened, Grell would return to watching Sebastian with star struck eyes and managing to mess up the simplest of tasks and Bard would stay in his kitchen, helping Finny and Mei Rin with their work and trying not to set fire to anything. But for now he could treasure the warmth beside him, the contented smile on Grell’s face and the pleasant ache in his own body. Just as they reached the kitchen door and prepared to part ways at last Grell spoke again.

“Um, Bardroy...”

“Yeah?”

“You’re a good person, you know. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” He said, blushing slightly, but voice firm as he stood at the bottom of the stairs.

“Uh...” Bard managed to say, but Grell had turned and hurried upwards, blushing even harder. “Alright...I guess.” He wasn’t really _that good,_ he’d done plenty of shady things in his military career, but he couldn’t deny the thought that Grell thought he was a good man was a comforting one. “Goodnight Grell.”


End file.
